It's not often that the University shows movies that once inspired fears of race riots.
As part of the Spike Lee-Terence Blanchard Film Festival, the 1989 film Do the Right Thing was shown to an "intimate" audience yesterday at the Annenberg Center. Lee, the film's director and star, will be visiting Penn today as part of the festival.
Before the screening, Timothy Corrigan, professor of English and director of cinema studies, gave a 30-minute talk to introduce the movie. He referred to the production as "not only the best Spike Lee movie, but the best American movie and one of the best movies" ever made.
The film's value, however, goes beyond entertainment purposes.
"The film is very much about public art, not about entertainment," Corrigan said, noting Lee's innovative combination of sound and images.
The film focuses on mounting racial tensions in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Soon after release, the movie became a national controversy. Some critics even feared race riots would erupt in theaters.
The movie was made in response to the political events of the 1980s and, according to Corrigan, "anticipated various flashpoints of race in America." Nevertheless, in the midst of its controversy, many people saw the movie as a piece of artistic genius.
Political issues aside, the movie also catapulted many of the cast members -- including Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Lawrence and Lee himself -- to stardom.
The film begins with then-unknown Rosie Perez dancing to the music of Public Enemy, who instructs the audience to "fight the powers that be," setting the tone for the rest of the film.
Underlying the feeling of idleness is Lee's theme of violence and racism from all corners -- black, Italian, Latino and Korean.
Racist statements like "niggers are so stupid" and "I hate niggers" are prevalent throughout.
The movie's popularity and "cult" status were enough to attract viewers from outside the Penn community, such as Philadelphia resident and avid Spike Lee fan Brian Gallanger.
The "characters are very real, three-dimensional and well-developed," he said, also noting that the the movie had been shunned by mainstream America and played mainly in cities.
Engineering exchange student and Annenberg usher Thierry Ameil described the movie as "interesting" and "an exposure to the black culture." He added that the film "gives me a good idea of the ambiance of the district of Brooklyn."
